By Karolos Grohmann
BERLIN (Reuters) – The Summer Olympics returned to Europe for the first time in 12 years as Paris hosted a sumptuous visual event that hogged the global spotlight for weeks and reinvigorated the brand after the previous two Games had been hit by the pandemic.
The International Olympic Committee had not seen fans in their last Summer and Winter Games — at Tokyo in 2021 and a year later in Beijing — due to COVID and it desperately needed Paris to be a hit for a much-needed image and revenue boost.
The Olympic body had been under pressure from sponsors and broadcasters and could barely afford another miss but as it turned out France delivered a spectacular extravaganza, complete with the city’s landmarks as venues and gripping competition.
Local heroes like swimmer Leon Marchand, who lived up to the hype and finished with four gold medals, made sure of igniting a wave of French enthusiasm as the host nation ended up with their best medals haul in 124 years.
Russia, once an Olympic powerhouse, competed only with a handful of athletes who appeared as individual neutral competitors without their country’s flag or emblem due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after first having been vetted by an IOC committee over athletes’ possible involvement with security forces or statements supporting the war.
Luckily for organisers any operational and security concerns as well as fears of domestic political instability affecting the Games did not materialise, leaving the IOC in a stronger position and the hosts of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics with a tough challenge to follow Paris.
The IOC desperately needed the Paris Games success in a year when Japanese sponsors Toyota, Bridgestone and Panasonic ended their Olympic sponsorship.
With interest for the 2036 Summer Games intensifying throughout the year and with India, Qatar and Saudi Arabia among those interested, the IOC will look towards those markets to replenish its top sponsors portfolio.
The Games were also the last for Thomas Bach as IOC President, with the German, in charge since 2013, announcing in Paris that he would not seek re-election next year, paving the way for a new leader.
There are seven candidates bidding to succeed Bach at the IOC elections in Greece in March.
World Athletics chief and former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe is arguably the biggest name. Standing against him are Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe’s Sports Minister and former swimmer, Juan Antonio Samaranch, son of the late former IOC president, and international cycling chief David Lappartient.
Completing the candidates’ lineup are Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, international gymnastics federation head Morinari Watanabe and Olympic newcomer Johan Eliasch.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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